There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in ~ Leonard Cohen

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Fall 205 – The agony of life and death

Kermit pulls up outside Darius’s house and the gang pile out. Alex tries the front door but it’s locked. She knocks. Darius’s head appears, he’s on the roof and leaning over to peer at them.
Darius: Oh hi guys, (he sees Megan) who’s that?
Alex: This is the new Megan.
Darius is suprised and nearly falls off the roof, but he manages to catch himself. He comes down to let them into the house. Nebby is very excited to see new people who aren’t moping about on the roof so Calvin plays with him. Darius opens the door and lets Alex and Megan in.
Darius: what, no Ash? No Yuki?
Alex, mubles: They left town, don’t talk about it.
D: What, they left?
Alex elbows him.
Megan: They’re gone.

Darius glares over at where Calvin and Nebby are wrestling and calls Nebby in. Nebby ignores the first two summons but reluctantly goes in after that. Apparently no one is allowed to have fun.
Darius, looking Megan up and down, says slightly meanly: so Megan, do you want some absinthe?
Megan, sulky: You haven’t got any. I checked last time I came over.
Alex, brightly: Calvin, you want a drink?
Calvin: yuh.
Alex: what kind?
Calvin smiles and shrugs. Alex and Darius go into the kitchen. Megan is sulky, Calvin plays with Nebby on the floor.

In the kitchen Alex corners Darius, asking what’s wrong. He is defensive, saying why is Megan allowed to sulk but he’s not. Alex points out that she knows why Megan is upset, but Darius is a bit of a mystery. Unless it’s about Megan and her dating Ash, which Alex can understand Darius might be annoyed about.
Alex: Besides, that’s all over. He left town and broke her heart, she’s pretty messed up about it.
Darius: Oh. But it’s other stuff. Like you’re always saying ‘oh no, don’t do the things that are actually helpful’, you know, like magic.
A: OK Darius, if you want to blow your own head up, be my guest. (She takes two cokes from the fridge and goes back into the lounge)

Darius sits next to Megan: Alex caught me up on what happened.
Calvin: Did she tell you about the werewolf?
Darius is startled, Megan explains about the werewolf attack and they decide they should really do some research about werewolves and whether Megan could be infected. Alex had already gone into the library to read about ghosts, fed up with the Sulky McSulkerson twins.

Research notes from the werewolf stuff: there are conflicting reports, almost as if there are different kinds of werewolves. There is apparently also a group of people in LA who eat werewolves.

Research notes about ghosts: they are angry forces or aspects of a dead person, completely focussed on one thing. A demon by contrast will take any opportunity it can to corrupt someone. Ghosts are single minded. There are a bunch of ways to protect yourself and Alex finds a reference to an exorcism spell that she refers to Darius, saying “Go ahead, blow your head up.” Alex then leaves the library and goes to find Calvin.

Darius looks at the spell: what’s this about?
Megan: Oh, well. Alex is either going mad or she’s seeing ghosts. Calvin thought it would be a good idea to do the ouija board and she got possessed. (She looks up at the weapons on the wall, points at a large sword.) Is there anything special about that one? Can I have it?
Darius is reluctant to give it to her because it belonged to his parents so she shrugs and says it doesn’t matter.

Alex finds Calvin outside running around with Nebby. It’s beginning to get dark. She leans against the wall and watches for a bit and then Calvin comes over.
Alex: you should get a dog.
Calvin: Maybe.
A: You seem to like him.
C: Yeah, I think he was just lonely.
A: Maybe he just likes you.
C: maybe…
A: So Megan and Darius are fun right now?
C: Right?
A: Oh and I’m definitely being haunted by a ghost, not a demon.
C: Good. So what’s the plan now?
A: I don’t know, I want to avoid the mope twins, but…
C: Well, we could just go.
A: what, and leave them?
C: We can say goodbye first.
Alex smiles and gives Calvin a big kiss, pleased with this solution which she hadn’t thought of. Calvin calls into the house and says they’re leaving and a slightly surprised Megan and Darius say goodbye.

Darius asks Megan if she wants any dinner and makes her a rather lovely frozen dinner with flowers from the garden, etc. She doesn’t think anything of it, barely noticing the effort he’s put in.
D: So Calvin and Alex, how long have they been together? They kept that quiet.
M: Yeah.
D: I didn’t see that coming. But I guess it just shows…
M: What does it show?
D: People who you don’t think of can get together.

Calvin and Alex go to the library and look through newspaper records for mentions of George Hitchins. He was middle aged, around 40, independently wealthy and donated to charities. His obit: “Will be missed by family and friends.” There’s a report that his will hasn’t yet been settled. One of the charity boards he was involved on was for restoring the ruined playing field at the local high school. The library is closing so they look at each other, ready to leave.
Alex: Nature walk?
Calvin: Dinner?
A: Good point.
They head to a cemetery adjacent diner.

Darius and Megan are talking and Darius suddenly realises last week was the anniversary of when his father died. He gets a bit sad and wooby. Megan doesn’t really know how to deal with that. Darius drives Megan home, she says she can walk home on her own. Darius insists on driving her.

(Aside: There was some talk here about the fan forums for Fall and how some fans are wailing and gnashing their teeth “Does she never learn?” “She’s taking this damsel in distress thing too far!” i<3Megan* says "it's just that she's so sad after Ash left her, she doesn't care if she lives or dies" CGrant4prez** retaliates "It's just lazy writing, they think we've forgotten they already used that last episode.)

When he drops her home, Darius waits until she is most of the way to her door before he sticks his head out the car window and calls out: I've heard getting over this sort of thing takes time. I'm here for you!
Then he goes home and does some more work through his 'magic for dummies' book.

Calvin and Alex have an awesome date in which they have burgers and talk about movies, school and TV shows. They laugh and get on with each other like ordinary teens. Then, once Calvin’s paid, they head out, open the trunk of Kermit and take out their weapons. Hand in hand, they cross the road to the cemetery, still chatting and laughing. They hear the grinding of stone on stone, coming from a crypt. There are noises from inside like gutteral grunting, a brief laugh and rummaging. They go one each side of the crypt and Alex kicks the stone cover back. Inside are two very ugly demons, who are very large (like Ahnuld) and weirdly skinless.
Alex: You chose the wrong night to go tomb raiding!
Alex jumps into the cyrpt and kicks at the head of the one on the left. The other one produces a sickle and embeds it into her leg, then he laughs. Calvin leaps at him: Leave my girlfriend alone!
The axe connects (50 points of damage oh yeah) and the demon turns to retaliate. Calvin manages to dodge and hastily backpedals, the sickle misses him. He stumbles against the wall of the crypt and falls down.
The other demon has picked up a big hammer (Soviet demons?) and swings it at Alex, she dodges, just, and hits back with her machete. Doing an epic amount of damage (126) she beheads the demon. The head flies up and lands in Calvin’s lap. Dan asked me to do a fear check here and Calvin failed, he flinches and the fail meant he couldn’t do any more offensive maneouvres.

Sickle demon attacks but only hits the head of his friend, which becomes impaled on the sickle. Alex cuts him in half from behind, pulls Calvin back up on his feet and gives him a big hug. He is looking a bit pale and returns the hug.
Calvin: wait, how’s your leg?
They get back to Kermit and Calvin fails to be an awesome doctor but does manage to stop the blood from flowing out of her leg. Another outfit ruined…

The next day at school Darius finds a charcoal drawing of demons writhing around and strangling each other. Jacinta appears next to him.
Jacinta: Hi Darius.
Darius: Did you do this?
J: Yeah. It’s nothing much, I just scribbled it.
D: It’s really good.
J: Oh, you’re just saying that.
D: Well, I am. but that’s how we communicate with each other. By talking.
Jacinta grins at him.

In home room Megan approaches Calvin. He is looking at his cellphone, his expression very serious. When Megan says hi he puts the phone away in a pocket.
Calvin: what’s up?
Megan: Can you teach me how to fight?
C:…sure.
M: Ok, so this afternoon? I’ll meet you after school.
She goes and Alex comes in, she looks concerned.
Alex: are you OK?
C: Yeah, fine.
A: It’s just you were a bit freaked last night.
C: It’s not every day heads land in your lap. It was…surprising. I’m OK now.
A: You’re sure?
C: Yep, fine. I’ll see you later tonight?
A: of course.

Calvin goes to find Darius, he isn’t in the AV club, so Calvin bugs them by leaving the room light on. He finds Darius in study hall dawing demons with Jacinta. She excuses herself to give them time to talk.
Calvin: So, you surf right?
D: Yeah. Well, not lately.
C: You wanna go tomorrow?
D: Tomorrow’s school.
C: We can skip.
D thinks about it for a while and then agrees to go.
In an alternate universe that is not this one, they clasp hands and jump up and down squeeing and there are hearts and stars exploding above them. Not this universe though.

Instead of class, Alex and Megan go online to research George Hitchins and see if they can find his next of kin. They get some details about his death, although he was very healthy he died of a massive coronary. He doesn’t appear to have a next of kin.

Megan and Calvin go to his house to use the basement gym. Calvin shows her how to punch without breaking her thumb and she asks to be shown how to weild an edged weapon. Back at school Alex and Darius do work on the decorations for the Spring Fling and talk about magic, it gets heated and Alex wonders how it is that Darius always makes her angry.